Hope
by dclvr77
Summary: Daryl deals with Carol's disappearance and the new addition to the group. Set in/around Season 3 episode 5.


**A/N Thanks for all the kind words about my last story. Hope you enjoy this one. I don't own the Walking Dead or its amazing characters, etc. etc.**

The cell door clanged as Maggie threw it open, she and Daryl rushing through with their bags of supplies.

Daryl went immediately to the baby gently taking her from Carl's arms.

He had only ever held a baby once, years before when Merle had brought home some girl who thrust the kid into his 16 year old arms before following his brother to his room. It wasn't a pleasant experience. He wasn't ever comfortable with babies before, and yet it was an instinct – a need – to hold this one and comfort her.

Daryl saw Carol in this baby. Of course she hadn't given birth to it, but it embodied the memory of who she was. Lori had always been afraid of the child she was carrying, it was Carol who would touch the woman's belly and smile, it was Carol who would coo to the unborn girl. Daryl knew that this new life was a miracle to Carol, a hope for all that lay ahead in a world full of horror and grief. So, to Daryl, this baby was all he had left of Carol and her beautiful soul.

Daryl took the bottle Beth offered and fed the little girl. Instantly, the block fell quiet and Daryl smirked. He looked around at the others smiling in sheepish triumph. He, rough and awkward Daryl, was taking care of a baby, she was going to live.

The joy was cut short as Carl listed off the women they had lost, testing each name out loud in search of the right one for his sister. Daryl's heart sank at the mention of Sophia and Carol, driving home the reality of her death. He stopped rocking the baby for a moment and composed himself. Chewing on his bottom lip he blinked back the tears and spoke to the baby.

"You like that? Huh? Little ass kicker?" Once again the mood was lightened as the group laughed. He looked around at them chuckling, "am I right?"

The baby in his arms drank down the formula as he rocked her. "Yeah, there you go, sweetheart," he murmered.

He heard quiet footsteps and felt her stop at the foot of his bed. She paused for a moment before turning and moving away.

"_Can't sleep?" his words stopped her. She turned back to him._

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."_

"_Didn't." He said shifting onto his side and propping his head up to look at her. "What's wrong?"_

_She looked back towards her cell and listened for a moment. Hearing nothing she sat down cross-legged on his bed._

"_I'm just nervous. Lori's about to pop. I'm sure she's overdue, though we can't know for sure, and I'm worried I haven't had enough practice. I mean it's probably going to come down to me cutting the baby out. And she's getting more and more depressed acting like she isn't going to survive the birth. And that's up to me, you know? What if I can't keep her alive? What if I can't keep the baby alive?" All her worries tumbled out of her mouth almost in one breath. Carol sighed and leaned forward on her knees covering her face with hands. _

"_Daryl," she spoke after a while. "This baby is…so much," she choked on the. "It's proof that we can survive, not just _us _but everyone left out there struggling to make it through each day. This baby is tangible hope. Just thinking about this new life makes my heart even though we have to fight so hard just to earn the right for it to take another beat." She took in a shaky breath._

_He reached out and touched her elbow tugging at her forearm. She let her arm drop and he ran his fingers lightly along it until he found her hand. As he held it he could feel the dampness there from her tears. His thumb made lazy circles across her knuckles hoping to comfort her in some small way._

"_Why don't you lay down,"he said, scooting to make room._

_She squeezed his hand and sighed. "I can't, what if Lori wakes up and needs something?"_

"_Come on, she ain't gonna wake up in the next 20 minutes. Listen. I can hear her snorin' away over there."_

_He heard her stifle a laugh before laying down next to him. She snuggled her back into his chest as he wrapped an arm around her. His fingers found their way under her shirt to rest on her bare waist. He pulled her tighter to him. _

"_I missed ya,"he whispered his lips grazing her ear._

_She nodded and covered his arm with her own. He trailed soft kisses from her earlobe down to her shoulder and back. "It's going to be alright," he reassured her before burying his face in her neck relishing the warmth he felt inside and out._

_He awoke early the next morning and she was still there. Her face was under his chin, he could feel her warm breath on his chest with each breath. He kissed her temple to wake her up. Her eyes fluttered open._

"_I'm gonna go hunt before everyone gets up, you should get a couple more hours of sleep. Rick wants us to move all cars first thing." _

_He helped her up and wrapped his arms around her taking her lips in his. She stood back and smiled before heading back to the cell she shared with Lori._

Daryl remembered their last quiet moment – their last kiss – as he sat against the wall holding the sleeping baby. _Was that really just this morning?_ He thought. Twenty-four hours ago Carol was asleep in his arms, now she was … gone? They hadn't had time to look for her body, they'd been divided all day their only priority was keeping this little baby alive. But there wasn't any way she could have survived in the prison this long on her own, right? Maybe Carol was still alive. No. Daryl didn't dare hope such a thing. If she were still alive she would have made it back by now. He shook away the hope before it could swell any larger.

As his thoughts wandered the baby squirmed and started to fuss.

"Shh," he rocked her, "it's ok, sweetheart, shhh."

The little one had been crying for most of the night and for some reason he was the only one who could calm her down. So, he'd taken her out to the main room to sit in a beam of moonlight and watch her just to be sure everything was ok. He didn't mind. It wasn't like he was going to sleep anyway. Besides, with each tiny breath he felt more and more sure that Carol had been right. This baby was going to hold them together, she was indeed proof that they could survive.

The baby drifted to sleep again. He rested his head back against the concrete and closed his eyes. He needed some sort of rest, even if he wasn't going to sleep. What was he going to do? Lead this group? How? Where? Rick was still missing within the prison. Throughout the night he had heard a primal screams drift in through the corridors, so Daryl was positive that Rick was still alive. Alive? Yes. Present? Who knew.

Daryl dozed, body unconsciously rocking to keep the baby sleeping. He awoke when the room started to fill with an orange glow. He stood up and gently placed the little girl in the make shift crib Carl had made up next to his bunk. He gathered his crossbow and keys and headed out to hunt down some breakfast.

Daryl slipped out the gates and through the lower fence. He headed into the woods as the morning light grew. He was lucky that morning, two squirrels and a large rabbit crossed his path not fifteen minutes into the hunt. As he bent down to gather up the last squirrel a spot of white in the sunlight caught his eye. He hooked the squirrel to his belt as he approached the bush full of white blooms.

He didn't move for a long time. He just stood staring at the delicate white petals. His face contorted in pain and tears filled his eyes. He wiped them away roughly and reached out to pick one flower, which he carefully folded into his front pocket.

Once back in the prison yard he secured the fence and the gate before crossing the open grass to the three graves. He stood in front of the first one and removed the Cherokee Rose from his vest. Carefully, he placed it within the stone 'C'. The ground was turned on the surface but not mounded, Axel hadn't got far in digging, abandoning the task completely once it started to get dark the night before.

_I'm sorry_ he thought _I'm so sorry. I failed you just like I failed your Sophia. I shouldn't have assumed we were safe here, I should have stayed close to you. I should have protected you. But I won't fail this little girl, I promise you that. _He put his hand on the wooden cross. _Most of all, I'm sorry because I should have told you that I love you._

He stood, and after one last look made his way back to the cellblock. Everyone was still sleeping as he quietly slipped in. He dropped off the animals and his crossbow at the table then poked his head into Carl's cell. He and the baby were still sleeping soundly.

Daryl crouched next to the girl watching her tiny fists twitch and her little eyelids flutter.

_This baby is our hope_.

Carol's voice drifted through his ears.

"Hope," he repeated.

"What?"

Daryl looked up to see Carl sitting up on his bunk

"Oh, just somethin' Carol said," Daryl fought back the emotion so the boy wouldn't hear it in his voice, "she always said that this baby was hope for us all, for the future. Proof that we would make it."

Carl climbed down next to the make-shift crib. "I like that," he said, "Hope."

Daryl looked at the boy who was watching his sister with clear eyes.

"I think that's what we should call her." Carl said.

Daryl reached over and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's perfect," he said unable to keep his voice from cracking.

They sat like that watching the girl for a few minutes before she started to stir.

"Alright, brother," Daryl said standing, "bring that sister of yours out here. I bet she's hungry."

Carl carefully lifted the baby. "Come on, little Hope."

**A/N I have a little bit of an idea about making this into multiple chapters, I'll have to see how it fleshes out in my mind**.


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